Re: GPL: for this list's review and pleasure
I have made some changes:
-- begin version 2
Massa's little trying-to-be-comprehensive study about the GPL.
© Humberto Massa 2004
This essay is hereby licensed to the reader, granting full rights of
modification and redistribution, provided every derived work of it does:
(1) maintain my copyright notice intact and positioned near to the top
of the text AND (2) mentions the original title AND (3) is distributed
under this same license.
THE THING
Rights granted from an author to an licensee when the former licenses
under the GPL some work to the latter or to a redistributing third
party, who then passes it on to the licensee:
1. making verbatim copy of source code (#1, caput, "You may..."),
SUBJECT TO carrying along the copyright notice, disclaimer, and a
copy of the license, ("provided...") SUBJECT TO not imposing any
further restrictions on the recipients' excercise of the rights the
license grants to him (#6, "You may not impose...")
2. distributing everything covered by [1] above (#1, caput, "You may
copy and distribute...")
3. charging a fee for the physical copy (#1, paragraph, "You may
charge...")
4. offer warranty protection for a fee ("you may at your option...")
5. modifying any portion of the work THUS making a derived work, (#2,
caput, "You may modify..."), SUBJECT TO causing modified files to
carry notices of changing (#2, 'a', "You must...") AND IF there is an
interactive announcement with copyright notice and/or disclaimer in
the original work, your derived work MUST print the said announcement
(#2, 'c', "If the modified...")
6. distributing any derived works covered by [5] above, (#2, 'b', "You
must cause any work...") SUBJECT TO licensing your modifications to
all third parties under the GPL ("to be licensed...")
7. licensing under any license you want parts of your modifications
covered by [5] (and [6]) above (#2, 1st paragraph, "If
identifiable..."), THOSE PARTS which can be "reasonably considered
independent and separate works in themselves", i.e., not derived
works from the original work; SUBJECT TO distributing such parts
separately ("But when you...")
8. aggregating in the same storage or distribution medium non-derived
works under other, unspecified, licenses (#2, 3rd paragraph, "In
addition, mere aggregation...")
9. copy the original work in executable or object code form, (#3, caput,
"You may copy..."), SUBJECT TO: accompanying it with the source (#3,
'a', "...it with the complete...") OR offering to send the source for
a non-profit charge valid for 3 years (#3, 'b', "...it with a
written...") OR IF you received the work in executable/object code
form AND are redistributing it non-commercially, accompanying it with
the information as to the referred offer you received (#3, 'c',
"...it with the information...") OR IF the executable/object code is
being distributed by accessing and copying from a determinated place,
is offered access to the source code from the same place (#3, 2nd
paragraph, "If distribution...")
10. apply the terms of [9] to modified/derived works covered by [5] and
[6] (#3, caput, "(or a work based on it, under section 2)")
11. disclaim warranties on your derived works, as they are disclaimed in
the text of the GPL.
ALL THESE RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO: no conditions being imposed to the
licensee that contradicts the conditions of the GPL (the SUBJECT TO
clauses here and in [1] to [11] above) or that excuses some of the
conditions (#7, caput, "If, as a consequence...")
WHY IS THE REST OF THE GPL NOT IN THE STUDY?
- #0 just describes what is the scope of the license, or to which works
it applies, and what actions it covers
- ## 1, 2, 3 are covered
- #4 talks about how the GPL terminates itself
- #5 explains why and in which circunstances the licensee is accepting
the terms of the license
- #6 is covered; the license transfer clause is indicated in the heading
of the study items; the "no more restrictions" clause is here AND IT
INVALIDATES LICENSES THAT COMBINE THE GPL WITH MORE RESTRICTIONS; all
works such licensed are undistributable by anyone but the original
copyright holder
- #7, caput, is covered
- #7, 1st paragraph is a "balance of section clause"
- #7, 2nd paragraph and 3rd paragraph are explanations
- #8 gives the original work copyright holder the ability to add ONLY
ONE TYPE OF RESTRICTION in combination with the GPL: the geographic
restriction, SUBJECT BY there is already a restriction on the
distribution of the work for the part of the restricted countries.
Notice that combining additional restrictions with the GPL renders a
work undistributable by anyone but the copyright holder
- #9 and paragraphs say you can license your work "GPL version X or
later"
- #10 explain how to proceed to combine different-licensed works
- ## 11 and 12 are the warranty disclaimer
QUICK ALGORITHMIC APPROACH TO READING THE GPL AND THIS STUDY:
bool can_i_do(something) {
if( copyright_law_grants_me_the_right_of(something) )
return true;
if( is_in_rights_granted_from_1_to_11_above(something) &&
the_SUBJECT_TO_clauses_are_satisfied_by(something) )
return true;
return false;
}
2004.May.12 @ Brasil, MG, Belo Horizonte
-- end version 2
@ 12/05/2004 13:16 : wrote Humberto Massa :
Massa's little trying-to-be-comprehensive study about the GPL.
(C) Humberto Massa 2004
--
br,M
Massa's little trying-to-be-comprehensive study about the LGPL.
© Humberto Massa 2004
-- INCOMPLETO --
This essay is hereby licensed to the reader, granting full rights of
modification and redistribution, provided (1) every derived work
maintain my copyright notice, (2) the original title is mentioned in
every derived work and (3) every derived work is distributed under this
same license.
THE THING
Rights granted from an author to an licensee when the former licenses
under the LGPL some work to the latter or to a redistributing third
party, who then passes it on to the licensee:
1. making verbatim copy of source code (#1, caput, "You may..."),
SUBJECT TO carrying along the copyright notice, disclaimer, and a
copy of the license, ("provided...") SUBJECT TO not imposing any
further restrictions on the recipients' excercise of the rights the
license grants to him (#6, "You may not impose...")
2. distributing everything covered by [1] above (#1, caput, "You may
copy and distribute...")
3. charging a fee for the physical copy (#1, paragraph, "You may
charge...")
4. offer warranty protection for a fee ("you may at your option...")
5. modifying any portion of the work THUS making a derived work, (#2,
caput, "You may modify..."), SUBJECT TO the derived work being a
library as defined in #0 (#2, 'a', "The modified work...") causing
modified files to carry notices of changing (#2, 'b', "You must...")
AND IF there is facility in the derived work that makes use of a
function or table of data in the calling application, the licensee
makes a good faith effort to ensure the facility will operate without
such function or table provided (#2, 'd', "If a facility...")
6. distributing any derived works covered by [5] above, (#2, 'c', "You
must cause the whole...") SUBJECT TO licensing your modifications to
all third parties under the LGPL ("to be licensed...") OR licensing
them under the GPL instead (#3, caput, "You may opt...")
7. licensing under any license you want parts of your modifications
covered by [5] (and [6]) above (#2, 1st paragraph, "If
identifiable..."), THOSE PARTS which can be "reasonably considered
independent and separate works in themselves", i.e., not derived
works from the original work; SUBJECT TO distributing such parts
separately ("But when you...")
8. aggregating in the same storage or distribution medium non-derived
works under other, unspecified, licenses (#2, 3rd paragraph, "In
addition, mere aggregation...")
9. copy the original work in executable or object code form, (#4, caput,
"You may copy..."), SUBJECT TO: accompanying it with the source
("...it with the complete...") OR IF the executable/object code is
being distributed by accessing and copying from a determinated place,
is offered access to the source code from the same place (#4, 1st
paragraph, "If distribution...")
10. creating programs that make use of the work, without being
considered by the copyright holder as derived works (#5, caput, "A
program that...") AS LONG AS they are not linked directly or
statically with the work (#5, 1st paragraph, "However...")
caveat emptor: at this point (#5, 3rd and 4th paragraphs), the
license tries to define what it considers or not derivative works;
this clauses can be redeemed inocuous; in such case, you can be in
the situation that the would-be-derived-work is undistributable; I,
personally, suspect this is the reason the FSF is not recommending
this license anymore.
11. apply the terms of [9] to modified/derived works covered by [5] and
[6] (#4, caput, "(or a work based on it, under section 2)")
12. disclaim warranties on your derived works, as they are disclaimed in
the text of the LGPL.
ALL THIS RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO: no conditions being imposed to the
licensee that contradicts the conditions of the LGPL (the SUBJECT TO
clauses here and in [1] to [12] above) or that excuses some of the
conditions (#7, caput, "If, as a consequence...")
WHY IS THE REST OF THE LGPL NOT IN THE STUDY?
- #0 just describes what is the scope of the license, or to which works
it applies, and what actions it covers; also defines the terms
"Library" and "library" with specific definitions valid for its scope.
- ## 1, 2, 3 are covered
- #4 talks about how the LGPL terminates itself
- #5 explains why and in which circunstances the licensee is accepting
the terms of the license
- #6 is covered; the license transfer clause is indicated in the heading
of the study items; the "no more restrictions" clause is here AND IT
INVALIDATES LICENSES THAT COMBINE THE LGPL WITH MORE RESTRICTIONS; all
works such licensed are undistributable by anyone but the original
copyright holder
- #7, caput, is covered
- #7, 1st paragraph is a "balance of section clause"
- #7, 2nd paragraph and 3rd paragraph are explanations
- #8 gives the original work copyright holder the ability to add ONLY
ONE TYPE OF RESTRICTION in combination with the LGPL: the geographic
restriction, SUBJECT BY there is already a restriction on the
distribution of the work for the part of the restricted countries
- #9 and paragraphs say you can license your work "LGPL version X or
later"
- #10 explain how to proceed to combine different-licensed works
- ## 11 and 12 are the warranty disclaimer
QUICK ALGORITHMIC APPROACH TO READING THE LGPL AND THIS STUDY:
bool can_i_do(something) {
if( copyright_law_grants_me_the_right_of(something) )
return true;
if( is_in_rights_granted_from_1_to_11_above(something) &&
the_SUBJECT_TO_clauses_are_satisfied_by(something) )
return true;
return false;
}
2004.May.12 @ Brasil, MG, Belo Horizonte
Massa's little trying-to-be-comprehensive study about the GPL.
© Humberto Massa 2004
This essay is hereby licensed to the reader, granting full rights of
modification and redistribution, provided every derived work of it does:
(1) maintain my copyright notice intact and positioned near to the top
of the text AND (2) mentions the original title AND (3) is distributed
under this same license.
THE THING
Rights granted from an author to an licensee when the former licenses
under the GPL some work to the latter or to a redistributing third
party, who then passes it on to the licensee:
1. making verbatim copy of source code (#1, caput, "You may..."),
SUBJECT TO carrying along the copyright notice, disclaimer, and a
copy of the license, ("provided...") SUBJECT TO not imposing any
further restrictions on the recipients' excercise of the rights the
license grants to him (#6, "You may not impose...")
2. distributing everything covered by [1] above (#1, caput, "You may
copy and distribute...")
3. charging a fee for the physical copy (#1, paragraph, "You may
charge...")
4. offer warranty protection for a fee ("you may at your option...")
5. modifying any portion of the work THUS making a derived work, (#2,
caput, "You may modify..."), SUBJECT TO causing modified files to
carry notices of changing (#2, 'a', "You must...") AND IF there is an
interactive announcement with copyright notice and/or disclaimer in
the original work, your derived work MUST print the said announcement
(#2, 'c', "If the modified...")
6. distributing any derived works covered by [5] above, (#2, 'b', "You
must cause any work...") SUBJECT TO licensing your modifications to
all third parties under the GPL ("to be licensed...")
7. licensing under any license you want parts of your modifications
covered by [5] (and [6]) above (#2, 1st paragraph, "If
identifiable..."), THOSE PARTS which can be "reasonably considered
independent and separate works in themselves", i.e., not derived
works from the original work; SUBJECT TO distributing such parts
separately ("But when you...")
8. aggregating in the same storage or distribution medium non-derived
works under other, unspecified, licenses (#2, 3rd paragraph, "In
addition, mere aggregation...")
9. copy the original work in executable or object code form, (#3, caput,
"You may copy..."), SUBJECT TO: accompanying it with the source (#3,
'a', "...it with the complete...") OR offering to send the source for
a non-profit charge valid for 3 years (#3, 'b', "...it with a
written...") OR IF you received the work in executable/object code
form AND are redistributing it non-commercially, accompanying it with
the information as to the referred offer you received (#3, 'c',
"...it with the information...") OR IF the executable/object code is
being distributed by accessing and copying from a determinated place,
is offered access to the source code from the same place (#3, 2nd
paragraph, "If distribution...")
10. apply the terms of [9] to modified/derived works covered by [5] and
[6] (#3, caput, "(or a work based on it, under section 2)")
11. disclaim warranties on your derived works, as they are disclaimed in
the text of the GPL.
ALL THESE RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO: no conditions being imposed to the
licensee that contradicts the conditions of the GPL (the SUBJECT TO
clauses here and in [1] to [11] above) or that excuses some of the
conditions (#7, caput, "If, as a consequence...")
WHY IS THE REST OF THE GPL NOT IN THE STUDY?
- #0 just describes what is the scope of the license, or to which works
it applies, and what actions it covers
- ## 1, 2, 3 are covered
- #4 talks about how the GPL terminates itself
- #5 explains why and in which circunstances the licensee is accepting
the terms of the license
- #6 is covered; the license transfer clause is indicated in the heading
of the study items; the "no more restrictions" clause is here AND IT
INVALIDATES LICENSES THAT COMBINE THE GPL WITH MORE RESTRICTIONS; all
works such licensed are undistributable by anyone but the original
copyright holder
- #7, caput, is covered
- #7, 1st paragraph is a "balance of section clause"
- #7, 2nd paragraph and 3rd paragraph are explanations
- #8 gives the original work copyright holder the ability to add ONLY
ONE TYPE OF RESTRICTION in combination with the GPL: the geographic
restriction, SUBJECT BY there is already a restriction on the
distribution of the work for the part of the restricted countries.
Notice that combining additional restrictions with the GPL renders a
work undistributable by anyone but the copyright holder
- #9 and paragraphs say you can license your work "GPL version X or
later"
- #10 explain how to proceed to combine different-licensed works
- ## 11 and 12 are the warranty disclaimer
QUICK ALGORITHMIC APPROACH TO READING THE GPL AND THIS STUDY:
bool can_i_do(something) {
if( copyright_law_grants_me_the_right_of(something) )
return true;
if( is_in_rights_granted_from_1_to_11_above(something) &&
the_SUBJECT_TO_clauses_are_satisfied_by(something) )
return true;
return false;
}
2004.May.12 @ Brasil, MG, Belo Horizonte
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